MD88 ACFT DURING TAXI FOR TKOF. WHILE STARTING THE R ENG; WHEN THE FUEL WAS INTRODUCED A 'FLASHER' (IMPENDING HOT START) WAS NOTED AND THE ENG THEN HUNG AT 43% WITH THE EGT INCREASING. CAPT RPTR TOLD THE FO TO SHUT THE ENG DOWN; BUT THE FO WAS DISTRACTED BY THE CHKLIST. CAPT SHUT IT DOWN WHEN EGT REACHED 500 DEGS C; CONTACTED MAINT WHO ADVISED PROC TO USE FOR RESTART WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER; MAINT CLRED THE ACFT TO CONTINUE ON THE FLT WHEN THE ENG SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSPECTED.

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ON TAXI OUT FOR DEP; I ASKED THE FO TO START THE R ENG. HE INTRODUCED THE FUEL AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME AND ANNOUNCED WE HAD A 'FLASHER' -- AN IMPENDING HOT START; WHICH IS NOT AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE WITH THESE ENGS. THE STARTER WAS DISENGAGED AT 35% N2; THE EGT TOPPED OUT AT 451 DEGS C; BELOW THE GND START LIMITATION OF 475 DEGS C; AND THE ENG STARTED TO COOL AS IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. HOWEVER; THE ENG HUNG AT 43% AND THE EGT WAS STARTING TO CREEP BACK UPWARD. I ANNOUNCED THAT WE HAD A HUNG START AND ADVANCED THE THROTTLE. WHILE WAITING FOR IT TO ACCELERATE; THE EGT APCHED THE LIMIT. I ORDERED THE FO TO SHUT IT DOWN BUT HE WAS OCCUPIED AND IT REACHED 500 DEGS C BEFORE I COULD SHUT OFF THE FUEL. THE ENG NEVER ACCELERATED PAST 43%. WE CHKED THE HUNG START PROC IN OUR MANUAL AND CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD HANDLED THE PROB PROPERLY BUT WE WERE AWARE THAT WE HAD EXCEEDED A GND START TEMP LIMIT. I CONTACTED MAINT ON THEIR FREQ. I DESCRIBED THE EVENT; INCLUDING THE EXCEEDENCE; AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE WANTED ME TO DO. AT THIS TIME; I FULLY EXPECTED TO BE RETURNING TO THE GATE. THE OPERATOR ON THAT FREQ THEN REPLIED THAT WE SHOULD ATTEMPT ANOTHER START. WHEN WE STARTED TO CONFIGURE THE ACFT FOR A SECOND START ATTEMPT; I NOTICED THAT THE R SUPPLY SWITCH FOR THE AIR-CONDITIONING PACK WAS IN THE AUTO POS AND SO I QUERIED THE FO WHY IT WAS THERE. HE RESPONDED THAT HE WAS COMPLETING THE AFTER START CHKLIST WHEN THE PROB OCCURRED. WE DISCUSSED THE PROPER PROC WHICH IS TO WAIT UNTIL THE ENG IS STABLE BEFORE OPENING THIS BLEED SOURCE. I DID NOT; AT THIS TIME; MENTION THAT ACCORDING TO COMPANY PROC; THE PLT ACTIVATING THE FUEL LEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THE ENG UNTIL STABLE AT 50%. WE THEN RECEIVED ANOTHER COM FROM MAINT; AND THIS ONE WAS FROM A DIFFERENT VOICE; INSTRUCTING US TO TURN OFF THE ENG DRIVEN GENERATOR; HYD PUMP AND TURN ON THE ENG ANTI- ICE FOR THAT ENG; PRIOR TO THE START. WE COMPLIED; ENGAGED THE STARTER; AND SPUN THE ENG WHILE THE EGT COOLED FROM 256 DEGS C TO BELOW 100 DEGS C. IT WAS A NORMAL START AND THE EGT NEVER EVEN FLASHED. I ADVISED MAINT OF THE NORMAL START AND STABLE OP OF THE ENG AND THEY CLRED US TO GO. ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL FOR THE REMAINING TAXI AND FLT TO SAVANNAH. WHAT WAS UNKNOWN TO ME AT THE TIME; AND AVAILABLE ONLY IN COMPANY MAINT MANUALS; WAS THAT A GND START TEMP OF 500 DEGS C REQUIRES AN INSPECTION BY MAINT PERSONNEL BEFORE BEING RELEASED TO SVC. UPON ARRIVING AT THE GATE; I FELT AN OBLIGATION TO INFORM THE NEXT CREW ABOUT THE PROB IN ATL. I WAS SATISFIED THAT I HAD MET ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR MY FLT AFTER RECEIVING APPROVAL FROM MAINT; AND INSTRUCTED THE FO TO MAKE AN INFO ONLY ENTRY IN THE LOGBOOK. I ALSO SAW THE OUT GOING CAPT IN THE TERMINAL AND RELATED THE ENTIRE INCIDENT TO HIM; INCLUDING THE RADIO EXCHANGE WITH MAINT. IN RETROSPECT; I FEEL THAT A FEW THINGS COULD BE CHANGED TO AVOID A SIT LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE. 1) I THINK WE NEED TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF WAITING UNTIL THE ENG IS STABLE BEFORE BEGINNING THE AFTER START CHKLIST. THE FO WAS FAIRLY JUNIOR IN BASE; STILL ON RESERVE AND PERHAPS FELT PRESSURED TO RUSH THE PROC. HIS JOB PERFORMANCE WITH ME DURING THE PREVIOUS 8 LEGS DID NOT; HOWEVER; INDICATE ANY DEFICIENCIES. 2) THE LOGIC IN THE MD88 WHICH 'FLASHES' THE EGT FOR AN IMPENDING HOT START HAS ALWAYS BEEN INACCURATE; AND DELIVERS A FALSE ALARM PERHAPS 95% OF THE TIME. 3) THERE SHOULD BE AN ENTRY IN THE PLTS OPERATING MANUAL NOT TO ATTEMPT A SECOND START IF THERE HAS BEEN AN EXCEEDENCE. WE ACCOMPLISHED THE HUNG START CHKLIST FOR THE MD88 AND THEN WERE TAKEN TO THE MANUAL ABORTED START CHKLIST. NOWHERE IS THERE A WARNING NOT TO ATTEMPT ANOTHER START IF ENG LIMITATIONS WERE EXCEEDED. SUCH A WARNING DOES EXISTS IN THE AUTO-ABORTED CHKLIST FOR THE MD90. 4) I OBVIOUSLY RECEIVED SOME BAD INFO FROM THE RADIO OPERATOR ON MAINT FREQ. WHOEVER MANS THIS POS SHOULD BE A QUALIFIED MECH AND NOT JUST AN 'OPERATOR;' AS I NOW SUSPECT HE WAS. 5) I SHOULD HAVE ENTERED THE 'MECHS' INITIALS; AUTH ANDTIME OF CONTACT; PER COMPANY PROCS TO VALIDATE THE COMS WE HAD WITH MAINT.